(31) Days of Good: Day 3

(FYI, realized there was too much good music released this past year to only cover one artist/band a day. I'll be featuring 2 or 3 a day from now on)

What do you get when you combine a former hardcore guitarist with a schoolteacher/and one-time member of a teenpop group? Just about the best American noise pop/lo-fi duo Brooklyn has to offer.

Sleigh Bells is composed of Derek E. Miller (songwriter, guitarist, producer) and Alexis Krauss (vocals). After a breakout year consisting of huge showings at music fests, such as CMJ and Coachella, tours with the likes of Yeasayer and LCD Soundsystem, a feature in Spike Jonz's robot love story I'm Here, and signing with M.I.A.'s N.E.E.T. label, the duo released their debut full-length Treats. I'm still hashing out my best albums of 2010, but I can guarantee Treats is at least in the top 3 (I haven't been as excited about a new band since The Go! Team released their first album).

The first Sleigh Bells track I heard, which still happens to be my favorite (actually it's a tie between this and Rachel), is Crown on the Ground (as a little bonus, i've also included the Jane Bang remix). I hope you enjoy it as much as I have the past year, and definitely check out the rest of Treats if you haven't already.

Sleigh Bells - Crown on the Ground

Sleigh Bells - Crown on the Ground (Jane Bang remix)

Purchase Treats via Amazon or iTunes

More Sleigh Bells @ myspace and infinitybells.com

LCD Soundsystem is anything but new to music blogs, so i'm going to keep this relatively short. This year, Mr. James Murphy released his third, and once again critically acclaimed album, This is Happening. Another definite addition to my best of 2010 list, this album is another must listen.

I'm trying to pick only one song per artist, which has proven to be much harder than expected, but I can easily say that Dance Yrself Clean is my favorite track from this album. I was lucky enough to see Sleigh Bells and LCD (and Hot Chip) share the stage this year and when LCD opened with this track, the crowd exploded (brace yourself for the 3:07 mark).

I can't post the track (sorry), but you can listen to and preview tracks at lcdsoundsystem.com, myspace, & the hype machine

Purchase This is Happening via Amazon or iTunes

More LCD Soundsystem @ lcdsoundsystem.com

More (31) Days of Good @ 35mmBeats

(31) Days of Good: Day 2

If you followed any of the coverage from the most recent CMJ, you've probably already heard about Zowie. I was first introduced to the New Zealand based, singer-songwriter by The Hype Machine and A Heart is a Spade.

The track i've chosen for today is the RAC remix of Broken Machine. This track was featured on the most recent Hype Machine Radio Show (November 2010) and it's been on almost constant repeat since I first listened to it.

The track definitely reminds me a bit of La Roux, but I think I like Zowie more (i'll decide on a final verdict after i've heard Zowie's full-length). Without going too much into it, this track is super fun and I bet you'll hear it at your New Year's Eve party this year.

Zowie's untitled debut is set to be released in 2011, and if it's anything like her first single, Broken Machine, we're all in for a big treat.

Zowie - Broken Machine (RAC Remix)

More Zowie @ myspace and iamzowie.com

More (31) Days of Good @ 35mmBeats

(31) Days of Good: Day 1

One of the most anticipated albums (and one of my favorites) of 2010 came to us from the amazing, orchestral indie rock band, Arcade Fire. Hailing from Canada, this 7-piece band had the difficult task of following up the critically acclaimed album, Neon Bible, but once again proved they deserve all the praise they receive.

As far as i'm concerned, a truly great album is one you can listen from beginning to end and each track fits together seamlessly, nearly creating one long song—The Suburbs does just that. The album was released last August and I don't think there's a bad song on it, but I do have a favorite. From the very first time I listened to The Suburbs in it's entirety, one track grabbed me the most. Powerfully sang by frontwoman, Regine Chassagne, Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) beautifully reminds us of an adolescent suburbia, teenage good times, and edge-of-adulthood bad times.

I can't post any tracks for you (sorry), but here's the unstaged video from Madison Square Garden

Purchase The Suburbs via Amazon (only $1.99 as of 11/30) or iTunes.

More Arcade Fire at arcadefire.com

More (31) Days of Good @ 35mmBeats

The holiday season is my absolute favorite time of year. I love the decorations, the music (no joke, Christmas music is probably my favorite genre), the chilly weather, the delicious food, the overall cheer that just doesn't seem to exist during other times of the year, and my favorite music blogs start hashing out their "best of" lists. Last year, I collaborated with 35mmBeats to bring you our favorite songs of 2009 and (31) Days of Good was born.

Not much has changed for 2010. During the month of December, we'll again bring you our favorite songs from the past year. There really isn't an order or rank for the songs, we simply pick our favorites and hope you enjoy them as much as we do. The only difference this year is we'll each be doing our own (31) Days of Good, which means more music for all of you. There was so much good new music this year, I'm sure we'll miss some (and we'll definitely overlap on a few), but you'll still get a hefty dosage of music.

Stay tuned!

1 Year Down

Wow. I'm usually not one to brag, but I'm feeling pretty accomplished today. What started out as a simple creative outlet, with very little direction, is officially 1 year old today!

Over the past year, I've learned that managing a music blog is a whole lot harder than people think. Other than the few collaborations with Brendan over at 35mmBeats, I've been at this by my lonesome, while at the same time working my day job and finishing up grad school.

There have been (more than a few) times when I've dropped the ball and posted pure rubbish and/or wasn't able to make frequent or regular posts, but for the most part, I'm really proud of what I've accomplished in such short time. I know there's still a lot more to the music blogsophere I have yet to grasp, but I really feel like I've got some good momentum going and I look forward to the future of this little creative outlet of mine.

Thanks to Brendan/35mmbeats, I wouldn't have started this blog, had you not started yours. Thanks to all/any of my readers (I think I have few out there) for thinking my thoughts and ramblings about music are worth a mouse click. And a big THANKS to all the bands/musicians/artists that continue to create music that excites, interests, and inspires me to write about it.

Here's to many more years!

~ Billy/Concrete Opinions

p.s. since this is a music blog, here are some of the songs i've listened to the most since Nov 21, 2009

[mp3] The Big Pink - Velvet

[mp3] Freelance Whales - Generator 2nd Floor

[mp3] Sleigh Bells - Crown on the Ground

[favorite] mashUPS

I love mashups. What's not to like about two or more songs coming together to create something new and exciting? When they're done right, very little. Done wrong? That's a different story.

If you're a regular visiter/listener of the hype machine, you know mashups are all over the blogosphere and I bet if you check right now, there is at least one mashup in the top 10 of thehype machines popular songs. Chances are, one of my favorites below is on that list as well.

But without further ado, I proudly present my favorite mashups (for at least the next 15 minutes). And be sure to check out 35mmBeats for more mashup favorites.

[mp3] Miami's Finest vs Grizzly Bear - Summertime (produced by RTillery)

[mp3] New Donna (Party Boy) - Bizarre Light Triangle (Madonna//New Order)

[mp3] The Hood Internet - Good ol' Fashion Rump Shaker (Beastie Boys//Matt & Kim)

The White Panda are putting out some of the best mashups right now. Unfortunately, I can't post any tracks, but you can download all of them here (the Big Boi//Discovery mashup, Shutterbug Swing Tree, is my absolute favorite).

Want more favorites of mine? Check out my favorite remixes here and my favorite free/legal music sites here.

Want more of The White Panda? Party Ben? The Hood Internet? Miami's Finest?